Acid Rain in the Adirondacks: A Time of Change!
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F E A T U R E
Acid Rain in the Adirondacks:
A Time of Change!
BY KAREN ROY, WALTER KRETSER, HOWARD SIMONIN AND EDWARD BENNETT
S
ignificant progress has been transported many miles before they are A few years later, Congress passed the
and continues to be made in deposited. These compounds are either Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
the reduction of acid rain emis- converted to sulfuric and nitric acids in (CAAA). Title IV set forth EPA’s Acid
sions. Some have viewed this the air, or are deposited directly to the soil Rain Program and established a national
environmental issue as resolved and then converted to these acids. In sen- cap on utility emissions expected to result
by Congress with the mandated controls sitive ecosystems, acid deposition can in an estimated SO2 emissions reduction
under the Clean Air Act Amendments of acidify waters and soils. An ecosystem is of 10 million tons (40%) from 1980 lev-
1990 (CAAA). But in places like the considered sensitive to acid deposition if els in two phases. By 2010, NOx emis-
Adirondacks, acidification of lakes and it does not have an adequate buffering sions would be reduced by approximately
watersheds continues, seemingly unabat- capacity in its soils to counter the acids. 10 percent (2 million tons) from 1980
ed. What can we look forward to? What Areas in New York State identified as con- levels. A system of marketable allowances
must happen? This article discusses recent taining sensitive ecosystems include the was the centerpiece of the Acid Rain Pro-
scientific findings, control efforts, New Adirondack Mountains, the Catskill gram (Bennett 1998). EPA was mandat-
York initiatives, and proposed further Mountains, the Rensselaer Plateau, and ed by the CAAA to provide Congress
Congressional action. In this time of the Hudson Highlands (NYSDEC with a report on the feasibility and effec-
change, the critical needs to document 1996). tiveness of an acid deposition standard to
the effectiveness of controls through the Over the years, New York State has protect sensitive and critically sensitive
monitoring and analysis of atmospheric worked hard to reduce air emissions aquatic and terrestrial resources. As a
deposition, lake chemistry and forest which contribute to acidic deposition, result, the Acid Deposition Standard Feasi-
indicators are discussed. Finally, the need including passage of the first acid deposi- bility Study was issued in October 1995.
for further Federal controls, in light of tion control act in the nation in 1984. In 1994, Canadian federal and provincial
New York’s initiatives are highlighted and The New York State Legislature realized energy and environment ministers issued
the opportunities for you, the public, to then that New York could not solve the a Statement of Intent to develop a long-
remain informed on our progress to pre- acidic deposition problem by itself, due to term acid rain strategy for Canada for
serve and protect our environmental her- the significant impact of air emissions post-2000. Consequently, the report
itage for future generations are offered. originating primarily in midwestern Towards a National Acid Rain Strategy was
Acid deposition has been identified states. The DEC reported in its Final issued in October 1997. Most recently, in
since the mid-1970s as a serious threat to Environmental Impact Statement on the 1998, the U.S. National Acid Precipita-
New York State’s waters and forests. Emis- Sulfur Deposition Control Program that tion Assessment Program (NAPAP)
sions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and oxides 83% of the sulfur deposition which issued its Biennial Report to Congress: An
of nitrogen (NOx) come primarily from occurred in the southwestern Adiron- Integrated Assessment presenting the first
the combustion of fossil fuels and can be dacks originated outside of New York evaluation of the costs, benefits and effec-
State. The acid deposition control pro- tiveness of the Acid Deposition Control
Karen Roy is a Project Analyst at the Adiron- gram also sought to establish an Environ- Program covering the results of the first
dack Park Agency. mental Threshold Value at which no sig- year 1995.
Walter Kretser is Program Manager of the nificant damaging chemical or biological These reports (1995-1998) lead to
Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation. effect of acid deposition had been report- several major conclusions. First, that the
Howard Simonin is a Unit Leader at the
ed, and above which there was a high pollution allowance trading program has
Department of Environmental Conservation Divi-
probability that adverse effects would been a success. Sulfur dioxide emissions
sion of Fish and Marine Wildlife Resources in
Rome, New York. occur. A value of 20 kilograms of sul- have been reduced, and sulfate deposition
Edward Bennett is with the Division of Air fate/hectare/year was selected for sensitive has decreased. The administrative and
Resources, Department of Environmental Conser- receptor areas, the largest being the implementation costs of the program are
vation, Albany. Adirondack Park. less than a traditional regulatory “com-
26 ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000F E A T U R E
mand and control” approach. The actual Status of Adirondack Lakes and The result of this unique cooperative
cost of the program is substantially less Streams effort was the acquisition of an unparal-
than projected at the time of adoption of Paleoecological studies involving leled, extensive chemical, biological and
Title IV. Secondly, despite the successes of analysis of Adirondack lake sediment physical data base of 1469 (52%) of the
the innovative regulatory scheme, the cores collected during the 1980s showed ponded waters in the region. In 1984, the
reports conclude that the overall cap in that many of the study lakes became USEPA National Acid Precipitation
emissions is too high to accomplish the acidic only in the previous 10-50 years, Assessment Program also collected physi-
primary goal, which was to protect sensi- during the time when air pollution and cal and chemical data on 155 Adirondack
tive resource areas from the harmful acidic deposition levels were highest due lakes as part of the Eastern Lakes Survey
effects of acid rain. The national cap on to rapid industrialization. Other studies (ELS). The results of these two investiga-
emissions of sulfur dioxide from power have similarly documented that fish pop- tions indicated that acidification of
plants must be further reduced. The ulation declines and losses of entire pop- Adirondack waters was indeed a serious
reports also agree that nitrogen oxide ulations occurred in many lakes within problem. Approximately 24% of the
emissions are also a significant contribu- the same time period. Acidification affects ALSC waters and 12% of the ELS survey
tor and must also be addressed. more than small, high-elevation lakes. Big waters (greater than 4 ha in size) had pH
The good news is that emissions of Moose Lake in the southwestern Adiron- values >5.0.
sulfur dioxide have been reduced, and as dacks is an example of an important lake In its Report to Congress in 1995,
a result acidic deposition of sulfate has which has been impacted in recent EPA reported that 19% of their target
decreased approximately 25 percent. This decades by acidic deposition and has lost population of Adirondack lakes were
has led to lower levels of sulfate in important fish populations. Historical acidic in 1984, based on their surveys of
Adirondack lakes and streams, approxi- records from this 1,286-acre water body waters larger than 10 acres. The ALSC
mately 15-20% in monitored waters. The document healthy fish in the lake and in report included lakes less than 10 acres in
bad news is that we have not observed the nearby streams during the 1930s. Surveys their extensive survey of 1,469 lakes and
large scale improvements in the acidity of conducted in the 1980s in the North found that 24% of Adirondack lakes are
Adirondack waters that we had anticipat- Branch Moose River Watershed (which seriously acidic, meaning that they have a
ed. Part of the reason is that in addition includes Big Moose Lake), however, pH of less than 5.0 and approximately
to decreases in sulfate in rainwater, there showed a serious loss of many fish popu- half of the waters in the Adirondacks can
have also been decreases in calcium, mag- lations (Schofield and Driscoll 1987). be classified as sensitive to acidic deposi-
nesium and other basic compounds in Acid-sensitive species occur in all tion based on ANC values. The distribu-
rainwater which help to neutralize the major groups of aquatic organisms (Fig- tion of sensitive waters (ANC >40 µeq/L)
sulfate. These decreases occurred because ure 1). Amphibians, aquatic insects, zoo- in the Adirondack region is shown in Fig-
we have greatly reduced the particulate or plankton, and algae are negatively affect- ure 2. ANC or Acid Neutralizing Capaci-
soot portion of air pollution, and in the ed by the increased acidity which is seri- ty is a combined chemical measure of
process we have reduced certain com- ously compromising aquatic biodiversity how well a lake can neutralize acid inputs.
pounds which previously helped to neu- resulting in effects on the food web. For An ANC of >40 indicates a water that is
tralize the acidity of our rain and snow example, loons, eagles, otters and mink, vulnerable to episodic acidification. This
(Simonin 1998). When examining re- all of which prey on fish, are impacted by is significant because it demonstrates that
gional trends in surface water recovery the loss of fish populations. Lakes that a high percentage (48%) of water bodies
from acidification in North America and once were destinations for brook trout in the Adirondacks are unable to absorb
Europe, Stoddard et al. (1999) found lack fishermen, like Brooktrout Lake, T Lake, current levels of acid rain without becom-
of recovery in three regions of North Deep Lake, and Lake Colden, among ing critically acidic, thereby jeopardizing
America (midwestern North America, others, are today too acidic to support aquatic life.
south/central Ontario and the Adiron- sport fish populations. In 1998 the National Acid Precipita-
dack/Catskill mountains). The trend pat- Between 1984 and 1987, the Adiron- tion Assessment Program’s report to Con-
terns in these regions are similar to those dack Lakes Survey Corporation (ALSC), gress confirmed that Adirondack lakes
observed in the Nordic countries of a joint partnership of the NYS Depart- had not “turned the corner” on recover-
Europe in the 1980s, where recovery is ment of Environmental Conservation ing chemistry. While the report found
now occurring. They suggest that larger (NYSDEC) and the Empire State Electric that over the last 15 years, lakes and
decreases in sulfur deposition and/or a Energy Research Corporation (ESEER- streams throughout many areas of the
longer response time (lag) may be needed CO), embarked on an intensive survey United States had experienced decreases
before similar recovery occurs in these effort to better characterize the biological in sulfate concentrations in response to
regions of North America. and chemical status of Adirondack Lakes. decreased emissions and deposition of
ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000 27F E A T U R E
Figure 1. Critical pH for selected taxa in lakes and streams.
White bars show favorable pH ranges for each type of organism; shaded bars show less favor-
able ranges; no bar indicates ranges which do not support populations of the organism.
Yellow Perch
Brook Trout
Lake Trout
Smallmouth Bass
Rainbow Trout
Common Shiner
American Toad*
Wood Frog*
Leopard Frog*
Spotted Salamander*
Crayfish**
Mayfly**
Clam**
Snail**
6.5 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0
pH
From National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program, 1991. 1990 Integrated Assessment Re-
port. NAPAP Office of the Director, Washington, D.C.
*Embryonic life states. **Selected Species
sulfur, in contrast, the majority of Adiron- Adirondack region, and the Report to these reductions will lead to lower con-
dack lakes had remained fairly constant Congress estimates that 70% of the target centrations of toxic chemicals in Adiron-
while sensitive Adirondack lakes have con- population lakes are at risk of episodic dack biota (Simonin and Meyer 1998).
tinued to acidify (NAPAP 1998). acidification at least once during the year.
In addition to sensitive lakes, the Nitrogen is more of a factor than sulfur in Status of Adirondack Forests
Adirondack region includes thousands of episodic acidification. Many factors affect forest health in
miles of streams and rivers which are also Mercury toxicity is another important harsh mountain environments like the
sensitive to acidic deposition. Over half of related issue for aquatic ecosystems of the Adirondacks. It is, however, becoming
these Adirondack streams and rivers may Adirondacks. Acidification has made mer- increasingly evident that acidic deposition
be toxic during spring snowmelt, due to cury and other metals more mobile, and is a critical factor, not only here but in
high aluminum concentrations and the mercury, in particular, has bioaccumulat- other parts of the country. The 1998
acidic water conditions created during ed in fish from acidic waters. Emissions of NAPAP Report concluded that both sul-
episodes. Aquatic life is adversely impact- air toxics, such as mercury, are also being fur and nitrogen have caused adverse
ed. Watersheds which experience episodic reduced as a result of the Clean Air Act impacts on certain highly sensitive forest
acidification are very common in the Amendments of 1990. The hope is that ecosystems in the United States, particu-
28 ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000F E A T U R E
larly high-elevation spruce-fir forests. as drought and cold weather, or pest that is, levels above critical load limits for
Recent reports from the U.S. Geological invasion.” aquatic systems. As a result, 95,000 lakes
Survey found that soil-calcium depletion in southeastern Canada will remain dam-
was linked to acid rain and reduced forest These findings are supported by the aged by acid rain.
growth in the eastern United States forest monitoring data collected over the Since the issuing of these scientific
(Lawrence and Huntington 1999). In last 14 years on Whiteface Mountain. reports, there have been a number of pro-
Canada, areas with the slowest tree growth Forest ecologists Drs. Eric Miller and An- posed legislative responses, beginning with
were found to be the areas where the total drew Friedland of Dartmouth College, Senator Moynihan’s Acid Rain Control
acidic deposition exceeded the critical load New Hampshire, collaborate with re- Bill (S.1097), introduced to the 105th
for that area. Critical load is defined as the searchers from other universities focused Congress in 1997. The Adirondack Park
amount of acid deposition that a water- on high elevation (>600m) forests and Agency provided testimony in support of
shed is able to tolerate while allowing their sensitivity to acidic deposition and this bill praising key components: addi-
95% of the lakes to maintain a pH of 6.0 acidic cloud water. Their studies demon- tional reductions for sulfur dioxide; limits
or higher ( The Acidifying Emissions Task strate red spruce decline and significant on nitrogen oxide emissions; a report on
Group 1997). EPA’s latest publication on changes in the soil cycling of nitrate. environmental indications for the Adiron-
acid rain (EPA 1999) states : dack Park; and the necessary tracking net-
“Acid deposition, combined with Further Emissions Reduction Needed work (APA 1998). This bill was re-intro-
other pollutant and natural stress fac- EPA has predicted that based on their duced in 1999 by Senators Moynihan and
tors, can damage forest ecosystems. best available computer model projec- Schumer (S.172) with a companion bill
Damage could include increased in the House by Congressmen Boehlert
tions, and assuming full (Phase I and II)
death and decline of Northeastern red and Sweeney (H.R. 25). It is supported by
implementation of the Clean Air Act
spruce at high elevations and the entire NYS Congressional delegation.
Amendments reductions in sulfur emis-
decreased growth of red spruce in the In October 1999, Governor Pataki
southern Appalachians. In some cases,
sions, the number of acidic waters in the
Adirondacks is expected to increase rather directed DEC Commissioner Cahill to
acid deposition is implicated in
than decrease. In other words, even with require New York’s electric generators to
impairing a tree’s winter hardening
full Phase II implementation sulfate further reduce acid rain causing emissions
process, making it susceptible to win-
decreases scheduled to start this year to protect sensitive areas like the Adiron-
ter injury. In other cases, acid deposi-
tion seems to impair tree health (2000), EPA projects that the problem of dacks. This directive requires that electric
beginning with the roots. As acid rain acidic deposition in the Adirondacks will generators in the state reduce SO2 emis-
moves through soils, it also can strip continue to get worse. sions to 50% beyond the Phase II levels of
nutrients from the soil and increase Significant additional reductions in the Federal Clean Air Act . By agreement
the presence of aluminum ions, which both nitrate and sulfate deposition are with the Ozone Transport Commission,
are toxic to plants. needed to simply stabilize, much less New York also is committed to requiring
Long-term changes in the chem- reverse, the acidic deposition problem in an additional 40% reduction in summer-
istry of some sensitive soils may have the Adirondacks. In its 1995 Report to time NOx emissions by 2003 to help
already occurred. In some regions, Congress, EPA projects that an additional fight smog. Under Governor Pataki’s new
nitrogen deposition in forests can lead 40-50% reduction over those currently directive, New York would require these
to nitrogen saturation, which occurs required are needed to simply return the emissions reductions year-round, rather
when the forest soil has taken up as number of acidic Adirondack lakes to than just in summer (New York State
much nitrogen as possible. Saturated, Executive Chamber 1999). This will help
1984 levels. Using the same computer
the soil can no longer retain nutrients reduce the severity of the acid pulse dur-
models, EPA predicts that without addi-
and they are leached away. Nitrogen ing spring snowmelt.
tional emissions reductions, the number
saturation has been observed in a
number of regions including North-
of acidic lakes in the Adirondacks will
eastern forests, the Colorado Front roughly double by 2040. The 1998 Tracking Ecosystem Change is Critical
Range and the mountain ranges near NAPAP report reiterated these findings. There are three major areas to track:
Los Angeles, California. Effects also Canada’s National Acid Rain Strategy atmospheric deposition; surface water;
have been seen in Canada and found that even with full implementation and forest indicators. For each area, the
Europe. This phenomenon can create of the Canadian and U.S. programs in responsibility of monitoring is shared
nutrient imbalances in the soils and 2010, almost 800,000 km² in southeast- among many and in all cases the funding
roots of trees, leaving them more vul- ern Canada — an area the size of France is not adequate to secure long-term track-
nerable to the effects of air pollutants and the United Kingdom combined — ing. These data collecting programs are
such as ozone, climatic extremes such will receive harmful levels of acid rain; vital to determining trends in the data (are
ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000 29F E A T U R E
ANC Distribution in ALSC
N = 1469
= ANC > 40.00 (µeq/L)
= ANC >40.00 (µeq\L)
Figure 2, ALSC 1999
30 ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000F E A T U R E
indicators going up, down or staying the deposition to measure. For example, at ALSC survey data are now 13-16 years
same?). For all three areas, it is necessary Huntington Forest, dry deposition was old with no funding in place to re-visit
to have an adequate number of monitor- found to be 55% of total nitrate deposi- these waters.
ing stations and to develop an uninter- tion during the Integrated Forest Study.
rupted long-term record in order to detect At Whiteface Mountain, where cloud Tracking forest ecosystems
trends. Methods and data need to be deposition is common, rainwater account- The Whiteface site is the longest-
coordinated and shared (NEG/ECP ed for 38%, dry deposition 25%, and recorded forest ecosystem study in the
1998). Lastly, more secure funding for cloudwater 37% of total nitrate deposi- northeastern US with the most significant
these programs needs to be somehow tion. Dry deposition monitoring exists in historical impact of sulfur pollution. Yet
assured. New York, but different techniques are recent funding reductions have caused a
used among collection stations and the shut-down of monitoring plots. The near-
Tracking atmospheric deposition monitoring programs are threatened by est remaining long-term forest monitoring
In a recent presentation on the critical lack of funds. It took a public relations site is at Hubbard Brook, New Hamp-
value of high-quality long-term monitor- appeal to prevent the closing of the shire. Due, in part, to the high rates of air
ing, Dr. Kathleen Weathers cited work longest-record dry deposition monitoring pollution loading experienced by high ele-
from the Hubbard Brook Experimental station in New York State (APA 1996). vation forests of the Adirondacks, these
Forest. Trends in the pH of rainfall there Further, there has been only one long- ecosystems have accumulated 80% more
have been tracked since the 1960s. It took term monitoring site (Whiteface Moun- sulfur than the low-elevation forest at
over 15 years before a statistically signifi- tain) for cloudwater deposition, and fund- Hubbard Brook. Therefore, studying
cant trend line could be drawn through ing for this program is on the decline. Hubbard Brook alone as the single long-
the data, which showed it to be rising or term forest ecosystem study representing
improving. During that time, however, Tracking lake chemistry the northeastern forests will not be ade-
there were periods where precipitation pH The extensive data collected by the quate to explain or predict what is occur-
appeared to be dropping sharply and Adirondack Lakes Survey and the EPA ring in Adirondack forests. As previous
other times showing no change. The les- Eastern Lakes Survey in the mid-80s and research has clearly demonstrated, Adiron-
son was that shorter time periods were the implementation of the Clean Air Act dack high-elevation ecosystems play an
different from each other as well as differ- Amendments of 1990 clearly indicated important “early warning” role for the
ent from the actual long-term trend that there was a need for a more intensive entire Northern Forest Region, due to
(Weathers 1999). effort to monitor chemical trends and their demonstrated sensitivity to changes
It is critically important, therefore, to changes in a representative sub-sample of in both chemical and physical climates.
continue to monitor acid deposition in Adirondack waters. A sub-set of 52 lakes To adequately assess the effectiveness of
New York State and establish whether representing five of the six major Adiron- the Clean Air Act Amendments on forest
actual reductions in acid deposition occur dack lake hydrologic classes were selected health in the northeast (especially high-
as a result of the emission reductions that in 1992 as long-term monitoring sites and elevation forests like the Adirondacks)
have been projected over the next decade. are sampled monthly. Sixteen of the 52 long-term observations of forest element
Even though large changes in deposition lakes were part of a previous program ini- cycling response to reduced atmospheric
are expected, only one of the five national tiated in 1982. sulfur loading must be continued. High-
acid deposition networks that existed in The Adirondack Long-Term Moni- elevation mountain forests are one of the
the 1980s remains. This is the National toring Program continues today as a joint signature ecosystems of the Adirondack
Acid Deposition Program (NADP), and venture of the ALSC in cooperation with Park comprising 22% of the Adirondack
sampling at some stations in this network Syracuse University with support from the Park, thus representing a sizable resource.
has already been discontinued. The New NYSDEC, New York State Energy Reduced tree growth and forest ecosystem
York Acid Deposition Monitoring Net- Research and Development Authority health are critical considerations on both
work is therefore increasingly important, and the USEPA Office of Research and state and private lands in the Adirondack
both because it covers important areas of Development. Reduced budgets over the Park.
the state such as the western Adirondacks last several years, however, have limited In summary, accurate measurements
not addressed by the national networks, valuable interpretive efforts and not of deposition and ecosystem responses are
and also because it may eventually be the allowed for adequate distribution of data essential to evaluate policy changes or
only network operating in the state (NYS- to the general public, the environmental changes in energy use (i.e., the effect of
DEC 1996). community, and legislative staffs in New decreasing or increasing emissions should
Dry deposition and cloudwater depo- York and Washington as well as neighbor- be reflected in what is delivered to the sur-
sition are also very important parts of total ing states and provinces. The original face of the earth). This information is
ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000 31F E A T U R E
equally important for ecosystem science, References Stoddard, J.L., Jefferies, D.S., Lukewille, A.,
where quantifying inputs is critical to Adirondack Park Agency 1998. Testimony Clair, T.S., Dillon, P.J., Driscoll, C.T., Forsulus,
interpreting effects and predicting future M., Johannessen, M., Kahl, J.S., Kellogg, J.H.,
of Richard H. Lefebvre, Chairman, NYS Adiron-
Kemp, A., Mannio, J., Montelth, D.T., Mur-
outcomes. On a more global scale, in light dack Park Agency before the Subcommittee for
doch, P.S., Patrick, S., Rebsdorf, A., Skjelkvale,
of lagged recovery and the complicating Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property and
B.L., Stainton, M.P., Traaen, T., van Dam, H.
factors of climate variability, Stoddard and Nuclear Safety of the Senate Environment and
Webster, K.E., Wieting, J., and Wilander, A.
Public Works Committee, October 6, 1998,
others (1999) highlight “ the importance 1999. Regional trends in aquatic recovery from
regarding the Acid Deposition Control Act acidification in North America and Europe.
of continued coordinated international
(S.1097) sponsored by New York Senators Nature 401(7):575-578.
monitoring to assess the success of acidic Alfonse D’Amato and Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
deposition control measures”. The Acidifying Emissions Task Group 1997.
[Online] Available: http://www.northnet.org/- Towards a National Acid Rain Strategy. Report
adirondackparkagency/ submitted to the National Air Issues Coordina-
Conclusion Adirondack Park Agency 1996. Resolution ting Committee, Environment Canada, Ottawa,
Full implementation of the 1990 Adopted by the Adirondack Park Agency Con- Ontario, 98 pp.
Clean Air Act Amendments will not cerning EPA’s Closing of a Key Acid Deposition U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acid
occur until 2010. Significant additional Monitoring Station at Endfield, New York. April Rain Division 1995. Acid Deposition Standard
reductions in both nitrate and sulfate 16, 1996, Ray Brook, NY. [Online] Available: Feasibility Study Report to Congress. Office of Air
deposition are needed to simply stabilize http://www.northnet.org/adirondackparkagency/ and Radiation (6204J), EPA-430-R-95-001a,
the acidic deposition problem in the Bennett, E.P. 1998. Acidic deposition — the October 1995.
Adirondacks. In order to simply return interplay of regulatory control programs. Envi- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
ronmental Science & Policy 1:239-247. 1999. Progress Report on the EPA Acid Rain Pro-
the quality of water in the Adirondack’s
Lawrence, G. and T.G. Huntington 1999. gram. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
water bodies to 1984 levels, a level at Air and Radiation EPA430-R-99-011, Novem-
which approximately 19% were already Soil-Calcium Depletion Linked to Acid Rain
and Forest Growth in the Eastern United States. ber 1999, 21 pp. [Online] Available: http://-
acidic, reductions of nitrogen oxides and www.epa.gov/acidrain/general/acidrainpro-
U.S.Geological Survey WRIR 98-4267, 12 pp.
sulfur dioxide must be reduced by an [Online] Available: http://bqs.usgs.gov/acidrain
gress.html
additional 40-50% over those levels National Acid Precipitation Assessment Pro-
Weathers, K. 1999. Conference presentation
already required at full implementation. Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Pro-
gram 1998. Biennial Report to Congress: An Inte-
Full implementation will not occur until tection in New York: Linking Science and Policy
grated Assessment. [Online] Available: http://- Critical Monitoring and Research Needs Panel.
2010. Since EPA predicts that without www.nnic.noaa.gov/CENR/NAPAP/NAPAP_- New York State Energy Research and Develop-
such additional emissions reductions the 96.htm ment Authority, December 7-8, 1999, Albany,
percentage of acidic Adirondack lake will New England Governors/Eastern Canadian NY.
roughly double by 2040, this means that Premiers, 1998. Acid Rain Action Plan. [Online]
aggressive action is called for now. A num- Available: http://www.tiac.net/users/negc Web Site Resources
ber of conservation and landowner groups New York State Department of Environ- EPA’s Acid Rain Division (Clean Air Markets
have established positions to further mental Conservation 1999. New York State Division): www.epa.gov/acidrain
Atmospheric Deposition Monitoring Network. Wet
reduce acid rain. Many people ask what National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program:
Deposition 1987-1995 Report. Albany, NY.
they can do as individuals. We suggest www.nnic.noaa.gov/CENR/NAPAP/NAPAP_-
New York State Executive Chamber, Octo-
that besides conserving energy in your 96.htm
ber 14, 1999. Press release: Governor Takes
home, office and automobiles and pur- Action to Protect New York from Acid Rain: U.S. Geological Survey: http://bqs.usgs.gov/acid-
chasing clean electric power, you can let Requires Further Reductions in Acid Rain-Caus- rain/
your representatives in Washington know ing Pollution. [Online] Available: http://www.- Clean Air Status and Trends Network: www.epa.-
your deep concern about the acid precip- state.ny.us/governor/press/year99/oct14_1_99.htm gov/acidrain/castnet
itation problem in the Adirondacks and Schofield, C.L and C.T. Driscoll 1987. Fish Legislative sites (NYS and US):www.state.ny.us
elsewhere. Encourage these lawmakers to species distribution in relation to water quality New England Governors/Eastern Canadian Pre-
gradients in the North Branch of the Moose miers: www.tiac.net/users/negc
support legislation limiting sulfur dioxide
River Basin. Biogeochemistry 3:63-85. New York State Adirondack Park Agency: www.-
and nitrogen emissions. The environmen-
Simonin, H. 1998. The Continuing Saga of northnet.org/adirondackparkagency
tal, visibility and human health benefits of
Acid Rain. Wild in New York, Spring. New York New York State Department of Environmental
further emissions reductions go beyond State Conservationist. Albany NY pp 4-5. Conservation Atmospheric Deposition Monitor-
the Adirondack Park. Simonin, H.A. and M.W.Meyer 1998. Mer- ing Network: www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dar/-
For more information, feel free to cury and other air toxics in the Adirondack baqs/acidrain/index.html
contact us. We suggest the World Wide region of New York. Environmental Science & Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation: (in
Web references provided. Policy 1:199-209. progress)
32 ADIRONDACK JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES • SPRING/SUMMER 2000You can also read
